


5. 'take me instead'

by restmyheadatnightcontent



Series: febuwhump 2021 [5]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Whump, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Medical Experimentation, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Protective Jaskier | Dandelion, Spies & Secret Agents, Violence, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29224836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/restmyheadatnightcontent/pseuds/restmyheadatnightcontent
Summary: He should have known it was too good to be true, he’d had a bad feeling ever since they had started the mission but he’d had no reason for that feeling so he’d just ignored it. Which was stupid – rule number one of being a spy is trust your gut.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Series: febuwhump 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139954
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	5. 'take me instead'

**Author's Note:**

> this is the product of me watching the witcher and the man from uncle repeatedly during lockdown so is incredibly self-indulgent im sorry

He should have known it was too good to be true, he’d had a bad feeling ever since they had started the mission but he’d had no reason for that feeling so he’d just ignored it. Which was stupid – rule number one of being a spy is trust your gut.

It had been too easy, he and Geralt had snuck into the facility with relative ease, there were no guards to be seen, and he had cracked the safe with no trouble. They were on their way out with the files when they had turned down what they thought was an empty corridor only to be accosted by a swarm of guards. He and Geralt had managed to fire off a few shots but it wasn’t long before they had tackled him and were pressing a syringe into his neck.

He winces now at the memory of the cold metal sinking in. He hates it when they use drugs – it’s _cheating_. If you want a fight at least do it properly.

When whatever they had injected him with had worn off he awoke to find himself in a sterile laboratory, stripped almost naked and strapped to a cold operating table, with Geralt still unconscious on a table next to him. The fact that the other man was not yet awake means that they whoever has captured them were prepared for them and for Geralts mutuations. They had been lured into a trap and now Jaskier is just left wondering _why_.

He hopes that Yennefer had managed to get away, that she had heard the fight via the bugs that he knows she planted on him and Geralt before they left and she called in for help. As soon as he and Geralt had not made it to the agreed meeting point, he hopes that she had left her position and gone to get back up rather than trying to stage a dramatic rescue. But knowing Yennefer, its almost certainly the latter.

His fears are confirmed when the door opens and the guards carry in a familiar body. He tries to get a good look at her as they strap her down to table on his other side, and he cannot see any visible wounds. However his heart drops when he sees the dimeritium cuffs that have been placed around her wrists. Gods knows what they did to her in order to get them on but he knows it can’t have been pretty.

He turns his head back towards the ceiling and tries to figure out how the hell they are going to get out of this one. He waits for a sign that either of the other two are awakening but he is just met with the sounds of the steady breaths of his companions. Normally, that noise brings much comfort to him but only in the confines of their bedroom, here in the unfamiliar room it does nothing to soothe his nerves. He’s without his lockpicks which is making his escape from the table much harder. And whoever it is that has trapped them will be ready. They had measures in place for both Geralt and Yennefer, which means they knew about them and they managed to fake information well enough to fool Vesemir. They aren’t amateurs, whoever they are.

Before he can get much further in his investigations the door is opening again. He lifts his head to see an elderly man in a white coat coming into the room. He seems to be just an ordinary old man – grey hair and a small beard – he looks like someone you would walk past in the street. But as he gets closer, Jaskier gets a glimpse of something in his eyes. Or rather a lack of something – his eyes are cold and calculating and seem to devoid of any light. Paired with the almost hungry smile the man has on his face, they send a shudder running down Jaskiers spine.

“Hello Mr Pankratz,” he says “Yes, yes I know who you are and who you work for so let’s not bother with any of that feigning ignorance act I’ve no doubt you’re terrific at, hm?”

He walks up to Yennefer and Jaskier clenches his fists as the old mans hand lifts to stroke her face. “It’s such a pity that the others aren’t awake yet. I must have made a mistake with my calculations. But no worry, we’ve all got plenty of time to get to know one another.”

He turns back towards Jaskier and he finds himself staring again into the soulless eyes.

“Who the fuck are you and what the hell do you want?” Jaskier asks angrily.

“How rude of me, not introducing myself. I am Stregobor,” he says calmly. Jaskier has heard the name before but he can’t quite place _where_. The doctor continues“And as for what I want – well I am a scientist you see. And I have always been fascinated by your organisation, about the people that work there. About what is done to them.”

“Yes, yes, I know all about the Witchers and their mutations. I’ve been trying to recreate the process myself for many years but I have never quite managed to get it right – never managed to get them to stick. And now I have one of my own to study and practice on, as well as one of the most powerful mages on the Continent,” he says, with an air of fascination “Yes I think this is will be one of my most productive studies yet.

Of course that’s where Jaskier knows the name – Stregobor was the one responsible for Project Black Sun, the systematic murder of the young girls who were all born during the eclipse and all seemed to show the same strange mutations. He’d heard horror stories about the man from Renfri and that was well over 20 years ago. Gods knows what the man has been up to since then, but it can’t have been good.

Stregobor crosses over to Geralts prone form “I think I’ll start with this one, see if I can figure out what makes him so special.”

“No,” Jaskier says, struggling against his ties “no, you can’t.”

“Oh I think you’ll find I can dear boy. And there’s not a lot you can do to stop me.”

“Take me instead. You won’t find out anything from him – from either of them – but I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” he pleads. He knows it’s stupid, showing his hand this early, letting Stregobor know how much they both mean to him but he doesn’t care if it means that they will be safe, that Stregobor won’t touch them.

“How sweet,” Stregobor says coming to stand next to Jaskier’s head. His hand comes to rest on Jaskier’s cheek and Jaskier flinches away from the contact. “I’ll tell them that you offered up yourself in their place, I think it will help lessen the pain. Or perhaps it will make it worse, who knows.”

He leans in closer and Jaskier can feel the mans breath ghosting his cheek “You see, I am going to study them but I have much, much bigger plans for you, my boy. With everything I learn from them, from their bodies, I’ll finally be able to perfect my experiments and I’m going to use it to transform you into the perfect fighter. And then you’re going to kill them for me.”

He can see the images in his mind but the thoughts feel unfamiliar in his head, and he realises that Stregobor must be placing them in there, showing Jaskier his plans. Jaskier holding a sword in one hand, knife in the other, walking towards Geralt and Yen. He can hear their pleas as he pushes the knife in, feels their blood coat his hands, their eyes filling with tears as they stare at him, mouths open in shock as he twists the knife—

“No. No,” Jaskier whispers “I won’t.”

“Oh but you will,” he says and then he is calling for the guards and Geralt is being wheeled away.

“If you touch so much as a single hair on his head, I will burn you and this place to the ground,” Jaskier growls. He struggles against the bindings holding him to the table as he watches Geralt’s white hair disappear through the door.

He’s going to get them out of this and stop Stregobor if it’s the last thing he does.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! kudos and comments greatly appreciated as always! i'm on tumblr @restmyheadatnightcontent if you want to come chat/shout at me! also pls let me know if i need to update any tags


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